1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to drill bits and systems that utilize the same for drilling wellbores.
2. Background of the Art
Oil wells (also referred to as “wellbores” or “boreholes”) are drilled with a drill string that includes a tubular member having a drilling assembly (also referred to as the “bottomhole assembly” or “BHA”) at the bottom end of the tubular. The BHA typically includes devices and sensors that provide information relating to a variety of parameters relating to the drilling operations (“drilling parameters”), behavior of the BHA (“BHA parameters”) and parameters relating to the formation surrounding the wellbore (“formation parameters”). A drill bit attached to the bottom end of the BHA is rotated by rotating the drill string and/or by a drilling motor (also referred to as a “mud motor”) in the BHA to disintegrate the rock formation to drill the wellbore. A large number of wellbores are drilled along contoured trajectories. For example, a single wellbore may include one or more vertical sections, deviated sections, curved sections and horizontal sections through differing types of rock formations. Drilling conditions differ based on the wellbore contour, rock formation and wellbore depth. During most drilling conditions, it is desired to maintain low frictional torque and increased steerability. However, when lateral vibrations such as backward whirl occur, it is desired to minimize such lateral vibrations. Often drill bit gage pads are designed with a gage extension to provide a compromise between low frictional torque and minimizing lateral vibrations. Accordingly, it is desired to have a drill bit with self-adjusting gage pads to provide low frictional torque and increased steerability while minimizing lateral vibrations.
The disclosure herein provides a drill bit and drilling systems using the same that includes self adjusting gage pads.